InsideSources tested a negative message for each of the major party’s
candidates for Senate. When voters were asked if Ayotte’s intention to
vote for Donald Trump without endorsing him influenced their support
for Ayotte, 46.7 percent reported that this information had no effect on
their potential support for Ayotte, while 34.2 percent claimed it made
them less likely to support Ayotte, and 17.5 said this information made
them more likely to support Ayotte. Women were more likely to be
positively swayed by Ayotte’s position on the Republican nominee than
men, who were more likely to report the position had no effect on their
support for Ayotte.

Voters were also informed about recent controversy surrounding Hassan
allowing a teacher who engaged in sexual misconduct with a student to
take a leadership role in her campaign. A majority of voters, 52.4
percent, claimed the information made them less likely to support
Hassan, while 32.4 percent claimed the information made no difference,
and 14.1 percent claimed it actually made them more likely to support
Hassan.

The top issue in the minds of many Granite State voters is the opioid
epidemic. The poll queried voters regarding their opinions about Hassan
and Ayotte’s handling of the crisis. 44.5 percent of Granite State
registered voters have a positive view of Ayotte’s handling of the
crisis, while 22.7 percent have a negative view. 32.8% are undecided.

In contrast, Hassan is underwater on the issue, as 40 percent hold a
negative view, 37 percent hold a positive view, and 23 percent are
undecided.

InsideSources/NH Journal also surveyed respondents on primary support
in the race for governor. Among the Republicans, 27 percent planned to
vote for Chris Sununu, and 20.65 percent for Ted Gatsas, while Frank
Edelblut, Jeanie Forester and Jonathan Lavoie received support in the
single digits. 41.04 percent were undecided.

Colin Van Ostern led the Democratic race for the nomination, with
13.44 percent, while Mark Connolly, Derek Dextraze, Ian Freeman, and
Steve Marchand trailed in the single digits. A sizeable proportion of
Democratic registered voters, 70.6 percent, were undecided.

The generic Republican candidate for governor leads the generic
Democrat 47 percent to 39.1 percent, with 13.7 percent unsure of who
they would support.